Telephonic communication through the use of telephonic communication systems is a necessary aspect of modern society. Telephonic networks of various telephonic communication systems have been installed throughout significant portions of the populated areas of the world.
Telephonic stations are connected to the telephonic network, such as by a wireline connection or a radio interface. A communication session is formed between two, or more, of the telephonic stations connected to a telephonic network. The telephonic station at which a call is originated is sometimes referred to as the calling party, and the telephonic station at which the call is to be completed, or terminated, is sometimes referred to as the called party.
In most conventional telephonic communication systems, circuit-switched connections are provided between endpoints, i.e., the calling and called parties, of a communication session. When a circuit-switched connection is formed, a dedicated channel is provided to permit the telephonic communications between the telephonic stations that form the endpoints of the communication sessions. For so long as the connection is maintained, telephonic communications between the calling and called parties are permitted. As the data to be communicated pursuant to the communication session might only be communicated intermittently, the communication capacity of the telephonic communication system is regularly, therefore, not fully utilized. Use of circuit-switched connections, as a result, inefficiently utilizes the communication capacity of a telephonic network.
Packet-switched communications, in contrast, are able more efficiently to utilize the communication capacity of a communication system. In a packet-based communication system, a common data path can be shared amongst two or more separate communication sessions. Because packet-formatted data can be communicated during discrete intervals, the same data path can be utilized to communicate packet-formatted data, during, e.g., separate time periods. More efficient utilization of the communication capacity of the communication system in which the packet-based communication scheme is implemented is thereby possible.
Various packet formatting protocols are used when forming, and sending, data packets formed of digital data bits. One protocol scheme, the Internet protocol (IP), or IP protocol, is regularly utilized in many different communication systems and communication applications. Communication devices and apparatus constructed to send, receive, transport, and operate upon IP-formatted data can be configured together in a communication system to provide for the communication of IP-formatted data.
The Internet is exemplary of a packet-based communication system. Data communicated by way of the Internet is formatted into packets and sent during discrete intervals. The packets, typically, are formatted pursuant to the IP protocol and include a header portion and a payload portion. The header portion contains the identity of the intended destination of the packet. An IP address identifies the destination of the packet. IP addresses are conventionally formatted pursuant to a standardized identification scheme, such as an IPv4 IPv6 identification scheme. Data packets that are to be communicated include in their header portions the IP addresses of the device to which the data packets are to be delivered.
Computer stations connected to conventional packet data networks, such as the Internet, are sometimes configured to permit telephonic communication to be effectuated therethrough. A call is routed through the packet data network, and the data that is communicated pursuant to a telephonic communication session can be formed of voice, as well as other, data. The computer station used as a telephonic endpoint forms a telephonic station.
When the other telephonic station with which the communication session is formed is operable in a conventional, circuit-switched telephonic system, the identity of the called party formed of the circuit-switched telephonic station is that which conventionally identifies the telephonic station in the circuit-switched system. More particularly, the telephonic station is identified pursuant to a specified numbering plan. The numbering plan used in North America, e.g., is the North America number plan. When the call is originated at the packet-network, telephonic station, the called party, formed of the circuit-switched, telephonic station, is easily identifiable by the telephone number associated therewith.
But, when instead, the call is initiated by a circuit-switched, telephonic station and the called party is formed of the packet-network, telephonic station, no correspondingly easy manner by which to identify the called party is available. Although the packet-network station is identified by its IP address, the address is not as readily entered by the calling party. That is to say, presently, no graceful manner is available by which to place a call to a packet-network, telephonic station from a circuit-switched telephonic station.
An improved manner by which to place a call to a packet-switched, telephonic station, such as an SIP phone, would therefore be advantageous.
It is in light of this background information related to telephonic communications with a packet-switched, telephonic station that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.